Automatic button-piercing machine.



Patented Apr'. 30,-|90|. a. GRIFFIN.

AUTOMATIC BUTTON PIEBCING MACHINE.

(Applicltion filed Nov. 6. 1900) 5 Shasta-Shut I.

(Nu Ilodal.)

k HUI n mwv INVENTOR.

WITNESSES.

No. 673,077. Paten ted Apr. 30, l90l.

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AUTOMATIC BUTTON PIEBCING MACHINE.

.(A'pplicltion filed Nov. a, 1900;)

(In Model.) 5 Sheets-Shut 2.

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WITNESSES.

INVENTOR.

' No. 673,077. Patented Apr. 30, l90l.

G. GRIFFIN.

AUTDMATH'S BUTTON PIERQING MACHINE.

(Application filed. Nov. 6, 1900.) (No Model.) 5 SheetsSheet 3.

WITNESSES. NVENTOR.

[Application filed Nov. 6, 1900.)

5 Sheets-Shut 4 (No Model.)

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INVENTOR.

WITN ESSES.

No. 673,077. Patented Apr. 30, 1901.

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AUTOIATIG BUTTON FENCING-MACHINE.

(lppliutionflled Nov. 6, 1900.)

(lo Iodel.) 5 Sheets-Shoot 5.

WITNESSES.

INVENTOR.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE GRIFFIN, OF SI-IELTON, CONNECTICUT.

AUTOMATIC BUTTON-PIERCING MACHINE.

SFECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,077, dated April 30, 190 1.

Application filed November 6, 1900. Serial No. 35,604 (No model.

invented a new and useful Automatic Button- Piercing Machine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to provide an automatic machine for piercing1l. e., pu nchingthe stitching, holes in horn,vegetable, ivory, and similar turned buttons which shall be simple and durable in construction, com paratively inexpensiveto build, not likely to get out of repair, requiring no attention in use beyond the supplying of blanks to the feed-dial, and having a capacity for production greatly in excess of all other machines of this character now known to the trade.

With these ends in view I have devised the novel automatic button-piercing machine of which the following description,in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, reference characters being used to designate the several parts.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine com plete; Fig. 2, a side elevation, the arm and punches being in the raised position; Fig. 3, a detail sectional view illustrating the arrangement and mode of assemblingof thefeeddial, feed-lever; &c.; Fig.4, a plan view with the arm, punches, and extractors removed; Fig. 5, an enlarged detail sectional view on the line 5 5 in Fig. 1, illustrating the arrange ment and operation of the feed-dial, punches, dies, stripper-plate, spring-rests, &c.; Fig. 6, a plan view of one of the spring-rests detached; Fig. 7, an inverted plan view of one of the punchcarriers and the punches; Fig. 8,a plan view of the blank, the position of the stitching-holes being indicated by dotted lines; Fig. 9, a detail view, partly in section, illustrating the operation of the extractors, pitman, and arm when the feed-dial fails to register with the extractors and punches; Fig. 10, a detail plan view corresponding with Fig. 4, showing a changed position of the feeding mechanism; and Fig. 11 is a detail View, partlyin section, illustrating means for adjusting the feed-dial-locking lever. t

denotes the bed of the machine, which maybe placed upon a suitable bench or table and secured thereon in any preferred man shown in dotted lines the position of the stitching-holes which are pierced by this machine.

In use the attendant is simply required to keep the holes 26 in the feed-dial 27 supplied with blanks. The feed-dial is shown provided with three rows of holes, there beinga set of punches and dies and an ejector correspending with each row of holes. The upper edges of the holes are shown beveled off for convenience in feeding. The feed-dial turns freely on a central stud 28, which is adjustably'secured in the bed, the hole 29 in the bed through which the stud passes being made large enough, as clearly shown, to permit slight adjustment in the horizontal plane 'of the stud and the parts carried thereby,

said parts being locked in position after adjustment by means of a nut 30 under the bed. The feed-dial rests upon a plate 31, having a hub 32, which rests upon the bed, the plate and hub being clamped rigidly to the bed by means of a shoulder 33 on the stud which engages the top of the plate. The feeddial is mounted on an enlarged portion of the stud and is retained in place bya washer 34, resting upon a shoulder 35 on the stud, and a nut 36.

Power is applied to drive the machine by means of a belt (not shown) passing over a belt-pulley 37 on a shaft38, (shown as journaled in bearings 39 under the bed.) 40 denotes a crank on' this shaft from which the arm is operated, as will be more fully explained, and 41 a cam-disk on said shaft carrying a cam 42, from which the feed-dial is end of a lever 46. This lever carries a roller 47 and is pivoted at the end opposite to the connection of rod 45 to a bracket 48, extending upward from the bed. IIever 46 is retained in operative position-that is, aposition in which the roller is held firmly in contact with the cam-disk and cam-by means of a spring 49, which is shown as carried by a stud 50 and is connected to the lever by means of a rod 51. Connecting-rod 45 is shown as connected to lever 46 by means of a bolt 52, which passes through a slot 53 in the lever and is locked in place bya nut. The periphery of the feed-dial is provided with squareedged teeth 54, which are engaged bya pawl 55, carried by the feed-lever and retained in engagement with the feed-dial by means of a spring 56. In order to insure that the forward movements of the feed-dial will be always uniform and that the dial will always stop in such a position that the holes therein will register with the dies, punches, and extractors, presently to be described, I provide a locking-lever 57, having a book 58, with which a tooth of the feed-dial comes in contact at the end of each forward movement. This locking-lever is pivoted to a hub 59, which is shown as adjustably secured to the bed by means of a bolt 60. Adjustment of the locking-lever may be effected when necessary by loosening bolt 60, oscillating hub 59 in either direction, as may be required,

and then locking it in position again by turning up the bolt. The locking-lever is shown as adapted to oscillate on a stud 61, extending upward from hub 59, hook 58 thereon being thrown toward and retained in the operative position by means of a spring 62, which is secured to the stud and bears against a pin 63 upon the locking-lever. The end of the locking-lever opposite to hook 58 is pivoted to a connecting-rod 64 by means of a bolt or pin 65, which passes through a slot 66 in the connecting-rod. (See Figs. 4 and 10.) The opposite end of the connecting-rod is pivoted to the feed-lever, as at 67. (See Fig. 2.)

The operation of the dial feeding mechanism will be clearly understood from Figs. 4 and 10, in connection with which see Figs. 1 and 2. Supposing the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 4, continued rotation of cam-disk 41 will cause roller 47 to ride up the incline of cam 42, the effect of which is to oscillate lever 46, which by means of connecting-rod 45 oscillates feed-lever 43. Fig. 10 shows the position of the feed-lever, pawl, and locking-lever at the instant roller 47 is in engagement with the highest portion of the cam. The effect of the first movement of the feed-lever is to drag the pawl backward over one space and one tooth of the feed-dial, spring 56 acting the instant the tooth is passed to carry the pawl into the space just back of the tooth last passed ready for the forward movement and also by means of connectingrod 64 to disengage hook 58 upon the lockinglever from the tooth with which it has been in engagement. As soon as the roller passes oif from the cam spring 49 acts to retn rn lever 46, connecting-rods 45 and 64, and the feedlever and locking-lever to their normal position, the movement of the feed-lever from the position shown in Fig. 10 to the position shown in Fig. 4 acting to carry the feed-dial forward one tooth, at the end of which movement hook 58 upon the locking-lever will be engaged by a tooth, as in Fig. 4, and the feeddial locked against further forward movement, the feed-dial beinglocked against backward movement by means of pawl 55. As will be readily understood from Figs. 4and 10, bolt or pin 65 upon the locking-lever slides freely in slot 66 in connecting-rod 64, so that when backward movement of the feed-lever takes place-'11. 6., movement from the position shown in Fig. 4toward the position shown in Fig. 10-no movement of the locking-lever will take place to disengage hook 58 from the feed-dial until bolt 65 is in engagement with the outer end of slot 66-that is, until connecting-rod 64 has been moved far enough, so that the end of the slot will engage the pin. Further movement of the feed-lever and connecting-rod will then trip the locking-leveri. e., throw it from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 10. An instant later the forward movement of the feed-lever, which is produced by spring 49 as roller 47 rides down the incline of the cam, will carry the feed-dial forward the distance of one tooth and one space, in which position it will be locked by the locking-lever, the hook being placed in engagement with the top of the tooth by spring 62 before the end of the forward movement, so that at the end of the forward movement the hook will pass down in front of the tooth, as in Fig. 4. The arm, which, as already stated, is rigidly secured to rock-shaft 22, receives oscillatory movement from a pitman 68, which engages crank 40 and is pivoted to the arm, as at 69. The pitman is shown as made adjustable by means of a right-and-left-threaded screw 70 and nuts 71. This arm carries the punches, which are indicated by 72, and also extractors,(indicated,respectively,by 73,74,and 75.)

76 denotes the stripper-plate, which is rigidly bolted to the bed and may be provided at its forward end with a guard 77 to prevent blanks from passing over on the stripperplate; 78, the spring-rests, and 79 the dies.

The construction and operation of the punches, dies, and spring-rests will be clearly understood from Fig. 5, which shows said parts in section and on an enlarged scale. The punches of course correspond in number with the number of holes required in buttons, ordinarily four. The punches of each set are retained in a carrier 80 by means of externally-threaded jaws 81, which are engaged by a nut 82. The carrier is shown as provided with a flange 83, which rests against the under side of the arm. The carriers lie in recesses 84 in the arm, in which they are retained by set-screws 85. The bases of the punches extend up into recesses 86 in the carriers and rest against blocks 87, which are themselves adj ustably retained in position by bolts 88, shown as locked by set-nuts 89. will be seen that each carrier, with the punches in place, may be removed by loosening a setscrew 85. The punches may be removed and replaced by loosening nut 82 and may be adjusted vertically by loosening set-nut 89 and turning bolt 88 in or out, as may be required, block 87 moving freely in recess 86, except as it is retained against upward movement by bolt 88 and against downward movement through the locking of the punches by nut 82. The stripper-plate is provided with holes 90, through which the punches pass. The stripper-plate is shown as recessed out, as at 91, around holes 90 to receive the ends of the jaws, but without removing snflicient metal to lessen the stiffness of the plate. As already stated, the blanks to be operated upon are placed by the attendant in holes 26 in the feeddial and passed under the stripper-plate, the guard, if used, preventing the possibility of blanks getting over on the stripper-plate. It will be readily understood from Fig. 5 that the stripper-plate is rigid and lies very close to the feed-dial, so that therewill be no danger whatever of the blanks clogging the movement of the dial, as a blank can only pass under the stripper-plate when it lies in one of the holes in the feed-dial. The blanks as they are carried around by the feed-dial rest upon plate 31 until they are respectively placed in position to be operated upon by the punches and dies. While in this position the blanks are supported by the spring-rests 78, which are three in number, corresponding to the number of sets of punches and dies. These spring-rests lie in recesses 92 in plate 31 and are carried by offset shanks 93, which are bolted in sockets 94 in a block 95, which is rigidly secured to or cast integral with the bed, the stripper-plate being also shown as secured to this block by bolts 96. The dies 79 rest in die-holders 97, which are rigidly bolted to the bed and are shown as provided with central openings 98, through which material removed by the punches may drop out, openings 98 of course extending through the bed and connecting with a chute, if preferred. Atthe center of each of the springrests is a hole 99 to receive a die, as is clearly shown in Fig. 5. It will be seen that the blanks at the time they are pierced do not rest upon the dies, but upon the slightlyyielding spring-rests. This is in order to prevent breakage of the punches or injury to the machine in any way that might result from the blanks being supported rigidly at the moment they receive the blow of the punches. The extractors are conveniently arranged in advance of the punches and dies, plate 31 being suitably cut away so that the perforated blanks, which are in fact completed buttons, will be carried out of the machine by the extractors and into asuitable receptacle or a chute 100, which is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The extractors are in fact spring-controlled plungers, extractors 73 and 74: being duplicates. The upper ends of extractors 73 and 74 consist of rods 101, which extend upward through the arm and have at their upper ends nuts 102 to limit their downward movement. The main portions of these extractors lie in socket-s 103 in the arm, there being in the upper end of each socket a spring 104, which bears against the upper end of the socket and against the top of the main portion of the extractor and acts to hold the latter downward. Extractor 75 is provided with an extension 112, which projects forward over the arm and whose function will presently be fully explained.

105 denotes an angle-rod which extends upward from the arm and carries a spring 106, one end of which bears against the top of the arm and the other against a pin 107, extending from extractor 75. It will be noted that the two springs 10 1 (one only being shown) and spring 106 hold the three extractors in operative position, but yield in the event of failure of the feed-dial to register accurately with the extractors, the extractors in this case merely coming in contact with the top of the dial when the arm descends and moving upward through the yielding of the springs. Extractor 75, however, is made to perform an important additional function in the event of failure of the feeddial and the extractors to register in preventing any possible damage to the punches. In order to accomplish this result, I provide a hinge 108 in the under side of the arm, between the pivotal point of the pitman and the extractors, so that when the downward movement of the extractors is stopped the arm will yield at the joint, the downward movement of the main portion of the arm being stopped by the resilient engagement of the spring-controlled extractors with the feed- IIO dial, but the outer end of the arm-t. 6., the

portion beyondthe joint-moving downward with the pitman, as clearly shown in Fig. 9. It will thus be seen that in the event of the feed-dial failing to register the crank and pitman may operate as usual; but their operation will have no effect on the main portion of the arm carrying the punches and extractors, owing to the said hinge 108 in the arm.

The two parts of the arm are normally held locked together by means of acatch 109, which is hinged to one part of the arm, as at 111, and engages a socket 110 in the other part. Extractor 75 is shown as provided with an extension 112, which is pivoted to catch 109,

as at 113. Spring 106 is made strong enough to normally hold extractor 75 in operative position and also to hold catch 109 in engagement with the socket, so that the two parts of the arm are held locked together, as in Fig. 2. Should there be anyobstruction, however, to the free downward movement of the ex- &

tractors, any possible damage to the punches or to any part of the machine is prevented through the action of extractor 75,which when its downward movement is stopped by means of extension 112 disengages catch 109 from the other part of the arm, so that said arm is permitted to bend at hinge 108, as clearly shown in Fig. 9, the hinge in the arm permitting the forward end of said arm to move freely with the pitman, but without imparting movement. to or exerting the least power upon the main portion of the arm carrying the punches and extractors.

The operation of the machine as a whole has been already so fully described in describing the structure of the machine that a detail description of its operation is hardly necessary. A single attendant attends to the feeding of one or more machines, all that is required being to place blanks to be operated upon in the holes in the feed-dials. The machine illustrated in the drawings has three sets of punches, dies, and extractors. Each rotation of the shaft produces an actuation of the feed-dial and a downward and return movement of the arm, thereby perforating three blanks simultaneously, the blanks perforated at the last previous actuation being at the same time expelled from the machine by the extractors. Every portion of the machine is made adjustable to provide for the taking up of lost motion and for the nicest possible adjustments in use. Every portion of the machine that is subject to a blow is made yielding, and the arm which carries the punches and extractors is jointed so as to yield should the feed-dial fail to register with the punches, dies, and extractors.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a machine of the character described the combination with an intermittently-rotating feed-dial having holes to receive blanks and spring-rests under the feed-dial which support the blanks when in position to be operated upon, of a stripper-plate lying over the feed-dial, dies and reciprocating punches registering with the stripper-plate and the dies.

2. In a machine of the character described the combination with an intermitten tly-rotating feed-dial having holes to receive blanks and spring-rests under the feed-dial which support the blanks when in position to be operated upon, of a stripper-plate lying over the feed-dial, dies and punches registering with the stripper-plate by which the blanks are perforated and extractors by which perforated blanks are removed from the feed-dial.

3. In a machine of the characterdescribed the combination with an intermittently-rotating feed-dial having holes to receive blanks, a plate 31 lying under the feed-dial and having recesses 92 and spring-rests in said recesses, of a stripper-plate lying over the feeddial and dies and punches registering with the stripper-plate by which the blanks are perforated while supported by the springrests.

4. In a machine of the character described the combination with an intermittently-rotating feed-dial having holes to receive blanks, a plate 31 lying under the feed-dial and having recesses 92 and spring-rests lying in said recesses and having holes 99, of a stripperplate lying over the feed-dial, dies lying in holes 99 and punches registering with the stripper-plate and dies by which the blanks are perforated.

5. In a machine of the character described the combination with an intermitt-ently-rotating feed-dial having square-edged peripheral teeth, of an oscillatory feed-lever carrying a spring-controlled locking-pawl, an oscillatory locking-lever having a hook adapted to be engaged by a tooth and a bolt 65, a spring acting to normally retain the hook in operative position and a connecting-rod pivoted to the feed-lever and having a slot engaged by the bolt upon the locking-lever, substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

6. In a machine of the character described the combination with an in termittently-rotating feed-dial having square-edged peripheral teeth, of an oscillatory feed-lever carrying a spring-controlled pawl, a rotatably-adjustable hub 59, an oscillatory locking-lever pivoted to said hub and having a hook 58, a spring acting to normally retain the hook in operative position and a connecting-rod pivotally connected to said feed-lever and to said locking-lever.

7. In a machine of the character described the combination with a feed dial having square-edged peripheral teeth and an oscillatory feed-lever pivoted concentrically with the feed-dial and carrying a spring-controlled pawl which engages the teeth, of a rotating disk carrying a face-cam, a lever 46 carrying a roller, a spring acting to retain the roller in engagement with the face of the disk and with the cam and a connecting-rod intermediate lever 46 and the feed-lever.

8. In a machine of the character described the combination with a feed dial having square-edged peripheral teeth, an oscillatory feed lever pivoted concentrically with the feed-dial and carrying a spring-controlled pawl engaging the teeth and an oscillatory locking-lever having a hook adapted to be engaged by the teeth, of a lever 46, means for oscillating said lever and connecting-rods intermediate lever 46 and the feed-lever and intermediate the feed-lever and the lockinglever.

9. In a machine of the character described the combination with a feed dial having square-edged peripheral teeth, an oscillatory feed-lever carrying a spring-controlled pawl engaging the teeth, an oscillatory lockinglever having a hook adapted to be engaged by the teeth and a rotatably-adjustable hub to which said lever is pivoted, of an oscillatory lever 46 and connecting-rods intermediate lever 4b and the teed-lever and intermediate the feed-lever and the locking-lever.

10. In a machine of the character described the combination with an intermittently-rotating feed-dial having holes to receive blanks,

dies and reciprocatingpunches, ofastripperplate having holes through which the punches pass and spring-rests having openings to receive the dies, said spring-rests being adapted to yie1dingly support the blanks when in position to be operated upon.

11. In a machine of'the character described the combination with the bed, dies, reciproeating punches and an intermittently-rotating feed-dial having holes to receive blanks, ot' a stripper-plate lying partly over the feed-dial and having a guard 77 for the purpose set forth and spring-rests upon which the blanks rest while being operated upon and which are provided with holes to receive the dies.

12. In a machine of the character described the combination with the bed, dies, reciprocating punches and an intermittently-rotating feed-dial having holes to receive blanks, of a stripper-plate, a plate 31 lying under the feed-dial and having recesses 92 and springrests lying in said recesses and provided with holes to receive the dies and with shanks which are secured to the bed.

13. In a machine of the characterdescribed the combination with dies, reciprocating punches and an intermittently-rotating feeddial having holes to receive blanks, of a stripper-plate having holes through which the punches pass, springrests for the blanks while being operated upon and reciprocating extractors by which the pierced blanks are removed from the machine.

14. Ina machine of the character described the combination with dies, a stripper-plate and spring-rests, of an intermittently-rotating feed-dial having holes to receive blanks, a reciprocating arm and punches and extractors carried by said arm.

15. In a machine of the character described the combination with dies, a stripper-plate and spring-rests, of an intermittently-rotating feed-dial having holes to receive blanks, an arm carrying punches which register with the-dies and extractors which register with holes in the feed-dial and mechanism for re- 17. In a machine of the character described the combination with the bed and a shaft having a crank, of an intermittently-rotating feed-dial having holes to receive blanks,- an

arm carrying punches and pivoted to the bed and to a pit-man which engages the crank, a hinge in the under side of said arm and means for normally locking the parts of the arm together.

18. In a machine of the character described the combination with the bed and a shaft having a crank, of an intermittently-rotating feed-dial having holes to receive blanks, an arm carrying punches and extractors and pivoted to the bed and to a pitman which engages the crank, a hinge in the under side of said arm, a catch for normally locking the parts of the arm together and a connection intermediate the catch and one of the extractors, whereby when downward movement of said extractor is stopped through failure of the feed-dial to register the catch will be disengaged and the hinge will permit the crank and pitman to operate without imparting motion to the punches and extractors.

19. In a machine of the character described the combination with the bed and a shaft having a crank, of an intermittently-rotating feed-dial having holes to receive blanks, an arm carrying punches and'an extractor 75, said extractor having an extension 112 and said arm being pivoted to the bed and to a pitman which engages the crank, a hinge in the under side of said arm, a catch pivoted to the extension and hinged to one part of said arm and adapted to engage the other part and a spring which yieldingly holds said extractor in operative position and retains the catch in the locking position until downward movement of the extractor is stopped.

20. In a machine of the character described the combination with the bed, a shaft having a crank and an arm pivoted to the bed and to a pitman engaging the crank and having a hinge in its under side, of an intermittentlyrotating feed-dial, dies, punches and aspringcontrolled extractor 7 5 carried by the arm and means acting in connection with said extractor whereby the parts of the arm are normally locked together and when downward movement of the extractor is stopped the arm is caused to bend at the hinge.

21. In a machine of the character described the combination with the bed, a shaft having a crank and an arm pivoted to the bed and to a pitman engaging the crank and having a hinge in its under side, of dies, a feed-dial, punches and a spring-controlled extractor IIO carried by the arm, said extractor having an 7 rying a plurality of vertically-adjustable jaws are caused to grip the punches and repunches. tain them in operative position. 10

23. In amachine of the characterdescribed In testimony whereof I aflix my signature the combination with the feed-dial, dies, in presence of two witnesses.

5 spring-rests and a stripper-plate, of a i'eeip- GEORGE GRIFFIN.

rocating arm, a punch-carrier having; an ad- Witnesses: justable block against which the bases of the A. M. WOOSTER,

punches rest, jaws and a nut whereby the S. \V. ATHERTON. 

